Entries by Corruption Watch

The facilitators and followers in the state capture project: Transnet

17 January 2022 in , , /by

Acting chief justice and state capture commission chairperson Raymond Zondo has found that the same modus operandi used at Eskom was used at Transnet to favour the now defunct TNA Media for irregular contracts worth millions, despite there being no value for the parastatal and no proper procurement processes followed. Between 2012 and 2017, Transnet spent over R120-million on TNA business breakfasts that were broadcast on television over the period, and a further R24-million as sponsor of The Big Interview.

Bain, Nedbank deny facilitating corruption in South Africa

17 January 2022 in , /by

Bain & Co and Nedbank – both implicated in the Zondo commission’s first report on the three years of hearings into allegations of state capture – have both denied any wrongdoing on their part. Bain is said to have been involved in the weakening of Sars, while Nedbank and Regiments Capital allegedly manoeuvred a dubious interest-swap agreement with Acsa.

The facilitators and followers in the state capture project: Eskom

14 January 2022 in , , /by

The first report of the Zondo commission, published on 4 January 2022, zooms in on the dealings that Transnet, Eskom and SAA had with Gupta-owned TNA Media. In the case of Eskom, it highlights the major procurement policy breaches surrounding three contracts entered into between the power utility and TNA and how they did not yield benefits for Eskom, despite being characterised as opportunities for exposure through the TNA Breakfast Briefings on SABC’s Morning Live..

Zondo report – Maseko one of first casualties of capture, says Zondo

12 January 2022 in , , /by

The February 2011 transfer of Themba Maseko from the position of CEO of the GCIS) to the Department of Public Service and Administration was one of the earliest acts of state capture by the Gupta family. So writes Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in the state capture commission’s first report. Zondo describes Maseko as “one of the few government officials who was willing to stand up to the pressure exerted by the Gupta family”.

Zondo report – SAA under Dudu Myeni was “the antithesis of accountability”

7 January 2022 in , , /by

Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo has determined, as shown in the first report of the commission of inquiry into state capture, that former South African Airways chairperson Dudu Myeni and her fellow board member and counterpart at the airline’s subsidiary SAA Technical, Yakhe Kwinana, oversaw a state-owned entity riddled with corruption during their terms, and fuelled a culture of bullying, fear and purging of executives who did not agree with their agenda.

First Zondo report enables civil society to keep up pressure for meaningful reform

6 January 2022 in , , /by

Corruption Watch welcomes the commitment to transparency in making the just-released Zondo commission report available to the public. The organisation also commended recommendations such as an independent anti-corruption agency and increased protection for whistle-blowers, but expressed reservations about the length of time that will no doubt ensue before any real action or consequences can be seen.